Archive for June, 2014

On a night of surprise returns, the June 30 edition of WWE Raw laid the framework for a compelling Battleground card.
WWE followed Money in the Bank by bringing back AJ Lee, Chris Jericho and The Miz. Not relying on those moments, though, the company quickly went to work setting up bouts for the next pay-per-view. A Battle Royal and a Fatal 4-Way are already officially a part of the show.
Hartford, Connecticut, watched on as The Wyatt Family and The Usos impressed yet again, and Dean Ambrose proved that he isn't done hunting his former partner. Rusev found a new foe, ...

On a night of big returns, AJ Lee had the biggest. Not only did she step back into a WWE ring on the June 30 edition of Raw, but she also won a title in the process.
First came the initial shock of seeing AJ on WWE programming again:
She had been gone since she lost the Divas title to Paige the night after retaining it at WrestleMania 30:
After taking in the moment for a little bit, she cut a promo praising Paige but at the same time tried to bait her into defending the Divas Championship. After Paige said she wasn't ...

"Bad News" could use some good news. Less than a week after separating his shoulder, Wade Barrett was forced to relinquish the Intercontinental Championship. A Battle Royal will be held at Battleground to determine a new champion, per WrestlingINC.com:
WWE 50 author Kevin Sullivan was disappointed that the belt will be awarded after a Battle Royal and not a tournament:
This is the second time that Barrett's been forced off WWE programming in the middle of a nice push. Back in 2012, he suffered a dislocated elbow shortly after he was in an Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship.
After getting ...

WWE fans eagerly anticipate the return of Chris Jericho each and every time he takes a leave of absence to focus on his band, and that much was apparent tonight when the WWE Universe went crazy upon the reemergence of Y2J on the June 30 version of Monday Night Raw.
WWE's Twitter welcomed the super-star back:
With The Miz in the ring making his own return, Jericho stole the show and had the crowd in a frenzy as he reached the ring. Then the Wyatts came out and the crowd couldn't contain their excitement as WrestlingINC.com points out:
Jericho has been a busy ...

WWE wasted little time in figuring out John Cena's first title defense. He'll put the WWE World Heavyweight title on the line in a Fatal 4-Way match against Kane, Randy Orton and Roman Reigns at Battleground. The match was announced Monday night on Raw:
The Authority is clearly stacking the deck against Cena, since Kane is in the match to help Orton win the title, much as he tried to do in the Money in the Bank Ladder match last night.
In talking to the new champion, Triple H was a complete Squidward, per WrestlingINC.com:
Reigns is a bit of a surprise inclusion. ...

Welcome to Bleacher Report's live WWE Raw coverage for June 30.
Money in the Bank is in the books, and there were plenty of developments at the annual event to make things in WWE interesting.
Not only did Seth Rollins win the MITB briefcase and a future title shot, but John Cena triumphed over his competitors to become the new WWE World Heavyweight champion.
Kane helped Rollins to victory but was unable to do the same for Orton. Both bouts provided great excitement, but we can't forget about the awesome performances delivered by Luke Harper, Erick Rowan and The Usos.
We also saw Paige and Layla ...

WWE Money in the Bank delivered excitement in spots and complacency in others. As expected, the Money in the Bank briefcase match far outshined the Money in the Bank championship match.
Without the guarantees inherent with perennial main-eventers and future stars, the so-called B-plus players in the briefcase match stole the show with a spectacular ladder match.
The Dean Ambrose-Seth Rollins feud appears as if it is going to continue stemming from the briefcase match. Should they feud over the briefcase, it will raise the stock of both stars while giving Ambrose the chance to become a top babyface.
Rusev continues his climb ...

The Money in the Bank pay-per-view is traditionally a show that features breakout performances by Superstars looking to make a name for themselves.
As Sunday night's pay-per-view showed, however, veterans of the ring wars also had a message to send as they looked to climb the ladder to glory.
Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose added to their already impressive resumes with outstanding performances in the Money in the Bank match. Dolph Ziggler turned in another show-stealing effort as he continues to solidify his reputation as the most consistently great wrestler on the roster.
The Usos legitimized their tag title reign with a great ...

WWE Money in the Bank delivered excitement in spots and complacency in others. As expected, the Money in the Bank briefcase match far outshined the Money in the Bank championship match.
Without the guarantees inherent with perennial main eventers and future stars, the so-called B-plus players in the briefcase match stole the show with a spectacular ladder match.
The Dean Ambrose-Seth Rollins feud appears as if it is going to continue following the briefcase match. Should they feud over the briefcase, it will raise the stock of both stars while giving Ambrose the chance to become a top babyface.
Rusev continues his climb ...

John Cena and Seth Rollins seized victories at WWE Money in the Bank 2014 and are poised to keep charging forward at Battleground.
Current narrative arcs will keep those two Superstars winning. Marquee bouts await them. The prizes they won in Boston assure them focus from the WWE writing team.
For The Usos and Rusev, stellar performances at Money in the Bank force WWE to consider high-profile spots for them at the next event.
They left the TD Garden with momentum in abundance. Tampa, Fla., hosts the second-ever Battleground, a pay-per-view sure to showcase Rusev, The Usos as well as the new Mr. ...